Tag Archives: favorite posts

GROWING TREES

January, 2015, I published a chart ofhow many direct ancestors one can have–total 8,191 through 12 generations. Back then, I had discovered 133 of my direct ancestors.

In April, 2017, a year and a quarter later, I have entered in my pedigree tree a total of –drum roll–206 direct ancestors in 12 generations. In this chart, copied from my page at Ancestry.com, you can see the many ancestors in my first 5 generations for whom I do not have photos. I have dropped me (first generation) and my family off the left side, so you see my parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and great-great grandparents. The arrows on the right point to more information about earlier generations. A light gray box means no more information.

I will admit that when you get past this chart,there are plenty of lines that I have not even begun to trace. Although I try to stay focused on direct ancestors, sometimes a grandmother or grandfather (however many x removed) has such interesting brothers and sisters that I simply must tell their stories. The Bent family I have been talking about recently are a good example of good stories lying to either side of my direct ancestors.

However, the pedigree chart is a good tool to get me back on track. Many of those names to the right of this have the Ancestry “shaking leaves” which mean there’s some information to be had (maybe). So have no worries that I will be idle in the coming year(s).

I hate admitting lack of progress, but just like last year, my father’s paternal line (Kaser) still refuses to budge beyond his great-grandfather, and my mother’s father’s paternal line (Anderson) halts at my mother’s great-grandfather. I have been able to trace the females of the Anderson lines farther than the males, but I surely would like to trace my own maiden name and my mother’s.

Posts

In our first 3 years, we published 347 posts and a total of 90 recipes. In the last year, we have added 91 posts (a slightly slower pace) and 28 additional recipes or food articles.

Your Favorites

True to form, How to Make Perfect Pie Cruststands at the top of the Most Read posts this year once again. You had “corny tastes” in older recipes you liked–corn pone, polenta, hominy grits, Indian pudding. But let’s take a look at what posts between April 2016 and this April (2017) were your favorites.

The ancestor stories you liked:

Jesse’s signature on letter August 1847

You discovered the story of my adventurous great-great grandfather, Jesse Morgan last year through his letters to his wife as he wandered the midwest selling horses. Six of those stories made it into the top 50 posts of the year. Why Chautauqua?, Letter Home, Charles Morgan in the Civil War, Wooster, Doc Woods, a Character in Jesse’s Story and Horse Trader. I encourage you to find the Jesse Morgan series through the search box, because if I put too many links here, the Google gods will get mad at me.

I tried something new this year, called Slice of My Life. Stories from my own life. Good reactions encourage me to continue. You particularly liked Special Christmas Gift about my visit to the White House at Christmas time, and Home Sewn about my hobby sewing.

Onward

I don’t anticipate any great changes in the way we do business around here in the next year, so hope to see you back many times between now and April 2018. Meanwhile, thanks so much for reading, supporting me with your comments and tips and encouragement.

Ancestors in Aprons is growing up. April 27, 2016 marks three years of telling family stories. That’s me at three, with my mother. Beginning genealogists are advised, start with what you know, what you can learn from your parents, and grandparents and go back from there.

VMB and Harriette Kaser circa 1942

First Family Stories: Grandma Vera

I started Ancestors in Aprons with a tribute to my grandmother, Vera Stout Anderson, my namesake. That’s grandma in the picture below, holding me. You can see her on the same day in the picture at the top of the page, just to the right of my grandpa Leonard Guy Anderson. Surprisingly, Grandma is not wearing an apron in this 1940 picture from Anderson’s restaurant.

Two Veras. Grandma Vera Anderson holding me at about one year old. 1940

Later I wrote about her surprising statement to me one time which led to discovery of the “lost love” of her youth, not long after this high school graduation picture was taken.

Vera Anderson 1899, the year she graduated from Killbuck High School.

And of course you can read about her in the introduction to Ancestors and Aprons, about the Anderson Restaurant.

Vera Anderson (circa 1960)

Then, there were the recipes that came to me in her own handwriting. The sugar cookies that I make every Christmas. The red pepper jam that I finally got up the courage to try. And her picalilli and corn meal mush that I found recipes for, even though they were not her own handwritten recipe.

Goals of Ancestors in Aprons.

My general goal is to trace each line (paternal and maternal in each case) back to the first person to arrive in North America.

The gold standard is to be able to tell the family stories about each ancestor.

I want to pass on the family stories told to me, and the family stories hinted at by photos, letters and heirlooms, and the stories gathered by other people with my grandchildren and great-grand children.

I almost always start with the ancestors nearest the present and moving back through the paternal line with only a mention of wives, and then circle back to trace the grandmother’s stories.

Then, of course, there is food. I hope to fill in some blanks in the lives of the ancestors by putting a vintage recipe into context, explaining cooking methods and fads and fashions in food.

By The Numbers

1241

Ancestry.com says I have 1,241 people in my tree. Not all of those people are “people” yet. A birth date, death date and place of birth does not a person make. Family stories bring them alive. Some of those names on the tree are just names, and some are unconfirmed names.

30 and 12

However, the direct line (Called pedigree in genealogy-speak) is somewhat more important. There I have four generations (30 people) on the way to completion (starting the count with my parents), and I can trace half of the additional 16 great-great-grandparents back further–a couple as far as ten, eleven and twelve generations–all on my mother’s side.

347 and 90

To tell the family stories, I have published 347 posts. In order to tell the stories through the foods our ancestors were eating, I have tested and shared 90 recipes. Some that were already family favorites (like Perfect Pie Crust or Corn Meal Mush),some that have become family favorites, some that were contributed by relatives (like Badertscher Banana Bread or Norma Kaser’s Spiced Pecans ), some that nobody is going to want to cook today (like Civil War Hardtack).

The Challenges

Paul Kaser 1940s

My father’s family (KASER/BUTTS) has been more challenging. Although I have been able to get back to their entry into the United States in the mid-18th century, I don’t have the rich details that I have with my mother’s ancestors. The Butts family has been thoroughly researched, but the Kaser line (my maiden name) resists easy research.

Guy Anderson in restaurant, Killbuck, 1940

Likewise, although I have lots of great stories from my grandmother’s female line, my research into ANDERSON, my maternal grandfather’s line (and thus my mother’s maiden name) has hit a brick wall due to the common names Joe Anderson and John Anderson, so numerous in Pennsylvania.

When I moved from telling the easy-to-come-by family stories, and started doing the research to track other relatives I found many surprises. Some of them I not only had not heard of, but I had not even realized that surname was part of my ancestry.

Some Family Names

Mother and Grandmother were so proud of having a Pilgrim ancestor (BASSETT) that they overlooked the exciting 17th century immigration story of my Grandmother’s father’s family (STOUT) including shipwreck and capture by Indians.

As so often happens in genealogy, whole big hunks of the family history never got mentioned. When naming my heritage, mother always reeled off “English, Scots-Irish and German.” I’ve added Dutch to that list. Right now, I’m working on my grandfather (Vera’s husband) and his mother’s line. I know that there is a very rich history stretching back to Holland on his mother’s mother’s side (MIDDAUGH/MEDDAUGH ). I THINK that her father’s line (BRINK) is also from Holland, but so far I can not prove it.

I also looked at my husband, Ken’s (BADERTSCHER/AMSTUTZ/TSCHANTZ) ancestors who mostly arrived in the late 19th century, and uncovered a big surprise. His ancestors, we knew were all Swiss. Turned out they weren’t. There was a big German contingent (BAIR) as well.

Favorite Subjects

My personal favorites: The Letters of Pvt. Erasmus Anderson and ofPvt. Henry Butts from the Civil War, and my current series on family members in politics. But my favorite reading of all, is reading the comments from YOU. I am so delighted when a new relative drops by and shares more information. Ancestors in Aprons is a Meeting Ground.

You also enjoyed reading about some of my ancestors. Naughty Pilgrims–some of my Bassett ancestors, and took the bait of the title “Joseph the Carpenter”, about my great-grandfather Joseph Kaser, and read about my “Daddy Guy”, Guy Anderson and his rules for life.

Who Are My People? What Have I Learned?

My ancestors did not come to the United States via Ellis Island, or gaze up at the Statue of Liberty as they arrived. I have been amazed to learn that nearly all my roots (on my mother’s and my fathers’ sides) extend back to before the United States was a nation.

They came with the Pilgrims, or with the slightly later wave of German or Scots-Irish immigrants. They moved ever westward–from New England or Pennsylvania or New York. Many of my ancestors were early settlers in the Ohio Territory, arriving before Ohio became a state, or just afterwards.

Some became big frogs in their small ponds, but none were hugely famous. Most were farmers, except for the women in some families who were educated before most women ventured into books. Many were teachers.

They were here when Indian wars were still raging. The men fought in the Civil War for the North, although their hearts were not always in the fight. At least one was involved in the Spanish-American war, and Ken and I both had relatives engaged in World Wars I and II.

They carved farms out of wilderness, built roads over animal trails, settled where the Canals and Railroads and Highways would bring more people. They participate in town government, and are involved in civic betterment. They built new churches, and helped their relatives from Europe resettle in the new land. The most adventurous headed west when gold was discovered, when wagon trains wound over mountains, or railroad lines made travel easier.

THANKS

Thank you to the relatives who have contributed articles and recipes. Great gratitude to my mother and father for telling their stories and my brother for recording many of them. More gratitude to my grandmother and great-grandmother who saved so many pictures and heirlooms from the past that help tell the stories. Thank you for reading and adding your thoughts in the comments.